Planoohaph co



W. A. COOPER.

.SLEEPING CAR LADDER.

APPLICATION mm rams. 1911.

1,308,147. Patented- July 1, 1919.

I m i 5 im a L; 1 7/ RI '9 4 b P P li'en i I er i/(mey "run COLUMBIA PLANOGRAPI-l c0.. WASIHNGTDN, D. C.

WILLIAM A. acorns, or MONTREAL, Q EBEC, CANAJiJAQ SLEEPING-CAR moons.

pecification of Letters Patent,

PatentedJuly 1,- 1919.

Application filed rebruaryiaiela Serial No. 149,513.

To all whom iimay concern:

Be it knownthat I, WILLIAM Goornn, of the city of Montrea Province of Quebec, Dominion of. Canada, a subject of the King of Great Britain, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Sleeping-Car Ladders; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description thereof.

My invention for its object to provide a step-ladder of rigid straight form adapted for use as a means for reaching the upper berths in sleeping cars, and adapted to be folded in half to facilitate packing away.

The ladder consists oftw'o sections pivoted together, and provided with locking means for maintaining the sections in alinement. The upper section may be swung down into the dotted line position, shown in Figure 1, and used as a prop member, or it may be swung into contact with the lower section, when it is desired to economize space.

For full comprehension, however, of my invention reference must be had to the accompanying drawings forming part of this specification in which similar reference characters indicate the same parts, and wherein:

Fig. l is a perspective view of my im proved ladder illustrating the positions in which it may be employed.

Fig. 2 is a detail fragmentary perspective view of the united ends of the ladder parts folded together, and illustrating the particular locking means;

Fig. 3 is a detail sectional view of a portion of the top of the lower part of the ladder and lower portion of the upper part with the lock shown in elevation;

Fig. 4 is a similar view to Fig. 3 taken at right angles thereto; and

Fig. 5 is a transverse vertical sectional view taken on line 55 Fig. l and illustrating particularly the joint betweenthe ladder arts.

P The parts of my improved ladder are illustrated at b and 0, respectively, each part consisting of side bars with steps 03 equal in width to the width of the side bars and having cushion treads 6' and the parts being hinged together by strap hinges F extending along the side bars. The step 9 at the hinge connection of the parts is divided longitudinally substantially midway of its width and one half is carried by the lower part and the other by the upper part. The first-mentioned half is mounted upon the the other half of the: step.

reinforcing member is mounted upon the upper ends of the side bars of the lower part and. itsends project laterally the side bars, the side bars of the upper part being cut as at h to afford clearance when the parts are in alinement and the remaming portion z': of thestiles carrying A transverse upper end of the lower part and is adapted to reinforce the half of thestep g carried by the part a when the parts are in alinement. This particular form of part of the ladder provides a rigid connection between the two parts which relieves the hinges and the locking means, about to be described, of practically all strain. A

portion of one of the side bars of the upper the upper part of the ladder which is adapted to rest upon the front half of the step 9 carrles a latch consisting of a resilient metal strip 70 having a lug w integral therewith on its lower end, the strip being fastened by screws or other suitable means to the side bar and guided by a collar m. The latch head projects below the end of the side bar and is adapted to engage a latching plate 0 secured over a recess 10 in the step 9 In order to facilitate the operation of the latch it is made with a bend 70 to serve as a thumb-piece. The top of the upper part of the ladder has rotatably mounted therein a shaft 8 with a pair of integral hooks 6 located near opposite ends of the shaft and adapted to engage the edge of an upper berth or any other fixed part upon which it is desired to support the ladder.

In order to prevent relative displacement of the ladder parts when the upper part is used as a prop a hooku is carried by the rear edge of the step next to the top one of the lower part of the ladder and a pair of eyes a and c arecarried by the back edge of the first step of the upper part.

When in use as a long ladder to enable the upper berths to be reached the parts of the ladder are swunginto alinement which causes them to be rigidly locked in this position and permits the ladder to be carried from berth to berth without danger of the parts becoming disconnected, and I make the hooks t of suificient length to have their hooked ends above the top of the ladder and therefore allow the top of the ladder to come below the edge of the berth and permit a proportionately shorter ladder to be used. When it is desired to store the ladder away beyond the thumb-piece 70 is pressed inwardly thus releasing the latch from the latching plate and freeing the parts of the ladder each otherand enabling them to be folded together. gage the eye '0. To use the ladder as a shortself-sustaining one, the top portion is swung to a position at an angle to the bottom portion and the hook engaged with eye 0 whichthus affords a rigid stay between the parts for preventing displacement.

What I claim is as follows:

A ladder divided substantially midway its length into two parts hingedly connected together, each part consisting of side bars and steps, the step at the hinge connection being divided longitudinally substantiallycede; this patent may be obtained for The hook u is then made to en midway of its width, one half being carried by the lower part and the other by the upper, and means constructed and arranged to automatically rigidly lock the parts when brought into alinement, said means consisting of a plate rigidly carried by one part and a resilient member carried by the other part and having va. lug on its lower end adapted to engage the said plate.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in the presence of two witnesses.

W. A. COOPER.

Witnesses:

J OHN Grimes, Amman H. COWLISHAW.

five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, D. 0. 

